Dress Fabric
1928 - 29 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This dress fabric is made of lightweight wool and silk. It is printed with a bold pattern of overlapping planes of pale blue, pink, yellow, and white, outlined in black. It was made for use by Coco Chanel in 1929. The selvage has the words ‘Tricot Chanel’ and its design registration number, 272017, stamped upon it.
In the early 1920s Chanel opened her own textile factory in Asnières-sur-Seine to cater for the demand for her signature silk-enriched wool and cotton jersey fabrics. This enabled her to control her own production and guarantee that Chanel fabrics were exclusive to her alone. Until around 1929, the factory was called 'Tricot Chanel'. After Chanel expanded into producing exclusive printed silks and other woven fabrics, the factory was renamed 'Tissus Chanel'.
Chanel used printed fabrics for coat linings worn with matching dresses, which became one of her design trademarks.This is a woven fabric stamped 'Tricot Chanel', so is probably one of Chanel's first fabric prints before the factory's official name change.
A metal top framed handbag dating from 1928-29 made in the same fabric and colourway as this sample survives in the Chanel archives in Paris.
In the early 1920s Chanel opened her own textile factory in Asnières-sur-Seine to cater for the demand for her signature silk-enriched wool and cotton jersey fabrics. This enabled her to control her own production and guarantee that Chanel fabrics were exclusive to her alone. Until around 1929, the factory was called 'Tricot Chanel'. After Chanel expanded into producing exclusive printed silks and other woven fabrics, the factory was renamed 'Tissus Chanel'.
Chanel used printed fabrics for coat linings worn with matching dresses, which became one of her design trademarks.This is a woven fabric stamped 'Tricot Chanel', so is probably one of Chanel's first fabric prints before the factory's official name change.
A metal top framed handbag dating from 1928-29 made in the same fabric and colourway as this sample survives in the Chanel archives in Paris.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Printed wool and silk |
| Brief description | Dress fabric of printed wool and silk, manufactured by Tricots Chanel, Asnières-sur-Seine, France, 1928 - 29. |
| Physical description | Lightweight dress fabric of wool and silk, printed with a bold pattern of overlapping planes of pale blue, pink, beige and cream outlined in black. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | Stamped with the registration number '272017' |
| Gallery label | [Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto exhibition, September 2023 - March 2024]
BRITISH CHANEL FABRICS
In the late 1920s, Chanel was spending time in Britain due to her relationship with the Duke of Westminster. She opened a salon in Mayfair and was considering possible British business ventures. In February 1929, she registered these textile designs in various colourways. They were the only designs that she ever registered in Britain.
Tricots Chanel textile samples
1929
Printed silk and wool crepe
V&A: T.191, 192, 194-1975
Given by the Manchester Design Registry(16/09/2023) |
| Credit line | Given by Manchester Design Registry |
| Object history | A metal top framed handbag dating from 1928-29 made in the same fabric and colourway as this sample survives in the Chanel archives in Paris: ACC.HC.INC.1928-1929.1 |
| Summary | This dress fabric is made of lightweight wool and silk. It is printed with a bold pattern of overlapping planes of pale blue, pink, yellow, and white, outlined in black. It was made for use by Coco Chanel in 1929. The selvage has the words ‘Tricot Chanel’ and its design registration number, 272017, stamped upon it. In the early 1920s Chanel opened her own textile factory in Asnières-sur-Seine to cater for the demand for her signature silk-enriched wool and cotton jersey fabrics. This enabled her to control her own production and guarantee that Chanel fabrics were exclusive to her alone. Until around 1929, the factory was called 'Tricot Chanel'. After Chanel expanded into producing exclusive printed silks and other woven fabrics, the factory was renamed 'Tissus Chanel'. Chanel used printed fabrics for coat linings worn with matching dresses, which became one of her design trademarks.This is a woven fabric stamped 'Tricot Chanel', so is probably one of Chanel's first fabric prints before the factory's official name change. A metal top framed handbag dating from 1928-29 made in the same fabric and colourway as this sample survives in the Chanel archives in Paris. |
| Associated object | |
| Bibliographic reference | Cullen, Oriole and Karol Burks, Connie. "Gabrielle Chanel". London: V&A Publishing, 2023
p 114
From the mid-1920s, advertisements and editorials recommending Chanel handbags appeared regularly in the fashion press. Many of these bags took the form of a structured frame with a top handle similar to this example from 1928. Tiny gold loops on the frame indicate where the now missing handle would have been attached. A sample of fabric from the V&A collection shows the original colourway of the handbag, which has faded through time and use. During this period Chanel produced handbags in a variety of materials, from the softest suede to Chanel’s own print fabrics, often with matching accessories such as scarves and belts. In 1928 the Tatler magazine noted ‘the chief characteristic of Chanel’s bags is novelty’, highlighting several Chanel handbags available from the Fortnum & Mason department store, including two made from a printed Chanel textile design of overlapping square sheets, similar to this bag, with a matching scarf in the same print. |
| Other number | 270217 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.192-1975 |
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| Record created | January 10, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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